Near Death
by trickstersink
Summary: Andromeda drowns. She doesn't die, but she isn't quite alive either. The twelve-year-old Tom Riddle finds her washed up on a beach next to his orphanage and from then on, they're stuck with each other. Summary sucks, story much better. Please R&R.
1. Drowning

**Near Death**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling owns it all.

_Drowning_

Andromeda fought against the current with all her strength, but the water refused to release her from its grip. Her head dipped below the surface once again and water filled her lungs as she tried to gasp for air. Her head spun, seeming to get lighter and lighter. Her blurry vision started to black out entirely. She kicked her legs, but her strength was leaving her fast, her muscles numbing down.

She clawed for the surface, but it was a pitiful last attempt to escape. Darkness enveloped her as she sunk down, down, down…

Quite abruptly, the darkness faded away and fresh, crisp air shot into Andromeda's lungs, the water that previously filled them disappearing. Her senses came back full force as she gasped, inhaling deeply. She could feel the stiffness of wet sand beneath her trembling body, feel the waves rushing up the beach and splashing against her bare feet. She could hear seagulls squawking nearby and could see several circling overhead in the dull grey sky. And she could spell the salt in the air.

Andromeda exhaled and closed her eyes, relief sweeping through her. "I'm alive!" she breathed, a smile curving her lips.

"Are you alright?" came a voice from above her.

Her eyes flew open again and she gasped in surprise. A young boy of ten or eleven stood above her, staring down at her worriedly. His eyes were bright, emerald green, and probing. His jet-black hair hung in short, wet locks, sticking to his forehead. His trousers were the same dull grey as the sky and his jumper was a soft brown color, a simple white button-up shirt beneath it. All were as drenched as Andromeda.

"I-I'm fine," Andromeda whispered. "I…think."

The boy stepped back. "Can you sit up?" His voice was smooth and light, not too high-pitched, but not far from a hiss. If Andromeda hadn't been able to see his still worried expression, she'd have thought he was hissing at her.

She wiggled a little, forcing her muscles to move. They tensed painfully before relaxing. A dull ache was settled over every inch of her body, but it was ignorable. Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her head spun and she swayed a little in place.

As soon as she was steady, she turned to look at the boy, who was now crouched down next to her. On closer inspection, he didn't look quite so young. The childish roundness was nearly gone from his face, leaving behind hard and handsomely sculpted features. It was easy to predict that he would grow up to be very attractive and worthy of drooling over.

"What's your name?" he asked after a moment of silence in which they studied each other. This time, his voice was deeper, no trace of a hiss.

"Andromeda," she whispered. "What's your name?"

"Tom," he replied, extending his hand after a moment of hesitation. As Andromeda grasped it lightly and returned his shake, he continued, "Tom Riddle."

Her hand froze mid-shake and her draw dropped a couple fractions, her eyes widening in shock.

_No way…Impossible!_

His eyes narrowed at her in confusion and suspicion, but just as he was opening his mouth to speak, a voice far off in the distance called his name. His head immediately snapped around, looking for the source.

When he looked back at Andromeda, he stood, pulling her with him. She climbed shakily to her feet, took a moment to gain her balance and brushed off some of the sand covering her.

"Come on," Tom said. "I'll take you up to the orphanage. They'll know what to do with you." There was a faint edge of a hiss in his words again.

_Tom Riddle…orphanage…oh shit!_

Before she could stop herself, she asked, "What year is it?"

He'd started walking off in the direction of a path that led up a steep bank, but at her question, he froze, looking around at her in confusion. "What year is it?" he repeated, his eyes probing hers as if trying to figure out if she was stupid.

Andromeda gave a short nod of her head and waited for his reply.

"It's 1940." he said simply, hesitating only a second before turning on his heel and striding away.

Andromeda stood in utter shock, doing the math in her head quickly.

_That means…he's…in his second year at Hogwarts. Oh…my…God!_

"Hurry up!" he called back and Andromeda gave herself a violent shake, running after him.

**Okay, I have a few ideas for this, but if I don't get enough reviews as proof that people are reading it, I might not bother.**

**Oh and just so you don't get confused, I started writing this story quite a while ago, before I found out that Tonks' mothers' name was Andromeda. I couldn't bring myself to change it, though. I love the name so much, so I'm keeping it!**

**This isn't going to be like other fanfics. Andromeda isn't exactly…normal. In the next chapter, you will find out more about her situation. I had to cut this chapter short because if I kept going, I knew it would probably never end. I'm going to be keeping my chapters fairly short (don't worry, not too short) so I will be able to update more often. Yay.**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Please?**


	2. Invisible

**Near Death**

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Harry Potter, I'd probably be a bit richer than I am now. J. K. Rowling owns it all, except _my_ Andromeda. Rowling owns _a _Andromeda, but not _this_ one.

_Invisible_

_I drowned. I lived. I woke up on a beach I've never seen before. I met a young boy who is to become Lord Voldemort, who I saw die! Lord Voldemort takes me back to his orphanage…what else can possibly happen?_

"Mr. Riddle, do you ever take anything seriously?" A nun scolded him.

Andromeda hadn't been paying attention, as lost in her thoughts as she was, but at the nun's harsh tone, she was brought back to the current situation.

She inched toward a very confused Tom Riddle and whispered, "What's happening?"

His mouth was hanging open, words frozen on his lips.

"Mr. Riddle?" the nun said impatiently. "Care to explain what you're talking about?"

"I-I…found a girl." he said, unsure. He turned to look at Andromeda, gesturing a hand towards her. "She's…right here. I found her on the beach only ten minutes ago. She nearly drowned."

The nun glanced all around. "There is no _girl_ here, Mr. Riddle. And what were you doing down on the beach. You were supposed to be doing your chores."

Tom's confusion intensified and his eyes flickered back and forth between Sister Marion and Andromeda, whose own confusion was growing.

"Luke said…" Tom began, but stopped almost immediately. He lowered his gaze to the floor. "My apologies, Sister Marion. It won't happen again."

The nun stared at him for a long moment, her lips mouthing, "Luke." A sort of understanding passed over her features and she took a step closer to Tom, who swayed back, but otherwise didn't move. The nun examined him closely, her eyes zeroing in on something just below his chin.

Andromeda stepped forward, wondering what the nun was looking at. That's when she noticed the two small drops of blood on the collar of his shirt.

Though Andromeda had no idea what those two drops of blood meant the nun seemed to understand immediately. Sister Marion stepped back with a heavy sigh and smiled at Tom kindly.

"You may retire to your room. Mr. Reynolds will take over your nightly chores tonight."

Tom's eyes remained fixed on the floor. Andromeda waited.

"And no more going down to the beach unless one of the Sisters accompanies you, you understand?"

"Yes, Sister Marion." Tom said with a single nod.

"And…don't go anywhere with Luke from now on." A pitying look flashed across her face briefly before being replaced with a slightly annoyed look. "And no more lies, Mr. Riddle. If I catch you in anymore lies, you'll be on bathroom cleanup for a month!"

Andromeda noticed the way his shoulders stiffened, but the nun paid him no mind, already walking away.

The moment she disappeared, Tom's hand shot out and grasped Andromeda's arm tightly, dragging her towards some stairs.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Andromeda demanded, trying to pull her arm free. His grip only tightened. "That hurts!"

He did not speak a word as they ascended the stairs. Nor did he loosen his grip. After a minute of climbing stairs, Andromeda just rolled her eyes and followed him.

_This has to be some kind of dream…some kind of nightmare!_

When they reached the fifth landing, he pulled her down a long corridor. About a minute later, he stopped outside a door, pausing for a moment with his eyes closed. Andromeda noticed the fingers of his right hand twitch slightly before reaching for the doorknob. As the door swung open, he pushed her inside.

The room was small and there wasn't much in it; A set of drawers, a small nightstand and a bed. In the corner, there was a closet and in another corner, there were quite a few books stacked against the wall. Textbooks. On the windowsill, seashells and stones sat in a straight line, adding a sort of artist creativeness to the room.

Andromeda turned to face him, slightly afraid. Her fear escalated when she saw the hard, cold look in his eyes.

_For such a young kid, he sure does know how to be scary._

He stared at her for the longest time, studying her, seeking some kind of answer. When he found nothing on her face or in her eyes, he spoke. "How is it I'm the only one who can see you?"

Andromeda raised one eyebrow. "What?" she asked, bewildered.

"You haven't noticed?" he hissed. He didn't wait for her to reply. "We passed several people on the way here and not a single person took notice of you. And just now, downstairs, Sister Marion couldn't see you. You were standing right in front of her."

"_That_ I noticed." Andromeda admitted, her own confusion at the situation sinking in. "Maybe her eyesight is bad…?"

Tom rolled his eyes at the pathetic excuse. "Bad enough to not be able to see a whole person? She seemed able enough to see me."

Andromeda shrugged. "I don't know then. I honestly have no idea."

He started to say something, but stopped, another thought occurring to him. "Is it…are you…" He took a breath and blurted, "Are you a witch?"

Andromeda noticed one of his long-fingered hands dip into his pocket, knowing it was now clenched around his wand. Andromeda gulped and reached into her own pocket, sighing inwardly with relief when she felt her wand there.

Slowly, she drew it out, gripping it lightly. Her relief evaporated and she glared at her wand, which she hadn't been able to find when she'd needed it most. "Yes," she muttered dryly. "I am." She looked up at him, noting how his eyes were fixed on her wand, probably prepared to curse her if she seemed in the least bit threatening. "And you're a wizard." It was a statement, not a question.

A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth and he drew out his pale wand. Andromeda glanced at it briefly then looked away, not wanting to see the wand that had killed so many people, tortured so many people.

_This is so impossible!_

"Maybe it's a spell or an enchantment that's making you invisible." He offered, leaning back against the door as he twisted his wand in his hands.

"That doesn't explain how you can see me, though."

He frowned. "No, it doesn't."

Andromeda closed her eyes, lifting her hand to her face. She pressed two fingers against her temple as she tried to think of some kind of explanation.

With a frustrated growl, she threw her hands up. "I don't know! I don't even know how I got here!" Anger and confusion surged through her, consuming her. "I drowned! I'm supposed to be _dead_! I'm not supposed to be here!"

Tom said nothing. He stood absolutely still against the door, watching her fume.

She started pacing the length of his room, muttering under her breath. Every now and then, she would hiss, "Impossible!"

Meanwhile, Tom was coming to a conclusion. It sounded rather unlikely, but he was coming to believe that anything was possible. After all, he _was_ a wizard. The world _was_ full of magic.

As she paced closer to him, he reached out and snatched her shoulders, turning her to face him. He stared at her for a moment, taking in her surprised expression, her own anger and frustration burning in her eyes.

"Maybe you are dead," he said quietly, but clearly.

Her eyes narrowed at him as she snarled, "Do I look dead to you?"

He said nothing.

As the silence was dragged out, she relaxed under his hands and her eyes slowly widened. Her expression faded from anger into shock and disbelief, the confusion in her eyes replaced by a hint of fear.

She gasped, "I'm dead."

**Bahaha, good place to stop. I like starting in random places and finishing in random places. That's the kinda gal I am!**

**So…what do you think? I'm on a roll today! I'm already starting on chapter three, which is titled "The Art of Being Dead". I love coming up with titles. It's fun.**

**Anyway, I figured uploading the first two chapters in the first day might help get things rolling, ya know? Plus, I can't seem to stop myself! But just so you know, I won't be doing this whole 'two chapters in one day' thing a lot. I don't want to wear out the story or run out of ideas.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I will love you forever!**


	3. The Art of Being Dead

**Near Death**

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't have killed off Dumbledore!

_The Art of Being Dead_

Andromeda refused to sleep in Tom Riddle's bed. That was the current issue. She'd just discovered that she was dead. Tom Riddle just discovered that he was the only person who could see her. Yet the only thing they could discuss right now was their sleeping arrangements. It was almost nine o'clock and they were both exhausted.

"A gentleman willingly gives up his bed for a lady." Tom muttered for the hundredth time.

"Well, I'm not asking you to be a gentleman. I can sleep on the floor. Just hand me a pillow and that extra blanket there." Without waiting for him to hand it over, she reached for the pillow.

"I can't allow you to do that." he continued to argue. "It's wrong."

Andromeda growled in frustration. "You are starting to annoy me!"

"Then do as I say!" he shot back, glaring.

She whirled on him, returning his glare. "How old are you?"

Taken off guard by her question, he stammered, "Tw-twelve."

"Well, I'm eighteen. I can handle sleeping on cold, hard floors. I've done it before. As a matter of fact, I've slept on much worse!"

Tom opened his mouth to argue, but he didn't know what to say to that. For a moment, he was stumped. Andromeda had already made a very poor makeshift bed when he finally figured out how to convince her.

As he took a step forward, Andromeda froze. The soft, pleading expression on his face and the look of absolute exhaustion in his eyes held her in place.

"Please," he said quietly. "I've had a long day. I've been bullied all day long and I just want to go to sleep. Can you please just take the bed?"

There were so many things Andromeda could say to further the argument and in the end, get her own way, but his expression halted the words on the tip of her tongue. She stood there silently, staring back at the future Dark Lord.

And then she felt her own exhaustion come crashing down on her and she couldn't bear to argue with him anymore.

She sighed heavily and turned her back on him, walking to the bed. "Fine," she muttered, her soft voice tired. "But just this once!"

Tom smirked at her back, but quickly hid it when she glanced over her shoulder at him. He lowered himself down onto the thin blanket, watching as Andromeda silently climbed beneath the covers of his bed. He lay down on the hard floor, shifting to get more comfortable and pulling the blanket around his small frame.

A few minutes passed in silence before Andromeda snorted in laughter. A moment later, she growled, "You're good."

He smirked up at the dark ceiling and muttered, "I know."

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. The same could not be said for Andromeda, who was slightly nervous about closing her eyes for any length of time. She was tired and sore and her body was demanding sleep, but she was frightened. Of what exactly, she knew not.

When she finally closed her eyes and started drifting off to sleep, an eerie darkness surrounded her. She felt weightless. She felt as if she was floating, but couldn't understand how that was possible. Maybe it was a dream.

There was nothing but darkness and that didn't change. She floated through the abyss, frightened and alone. She lost track of time. She lost track of everything. She didn't know who she was here, didn't know _what_ she was. She didn't have a body. She didn't need to breathe.

"Andromeda!"

Finally, a solid feeling. A gentle tug was felt…somewhere. She couldn't tell where, because she didn't have a body. Maybe…her mind? Her spirit?

"Andromeda, wake up!"

Her eyes shot open as she was shaken violently by the shoulder. She immediately shot up in bed, gasping. Her heart raced in her chest and she whipped her head around, her hand clutching her wand close.

"Hey, it's just me." Tom said, standing several feet away, his hands held up in front of him. "I didn't mean to frighten you," he said apologetically.

Andromeda took deep breaths as she calmed down. "No, it's fine. I'm fine. Just…weird dream."

_He doesn't care! He's Voldemort!_

"Oh," he said, eyeing her cautiously. "Well, it's…almost nine thirty. We slept in quite late. Sister Marion had to come wake me up." He glanced at the blanket and pillow on the floor. "She probably thinks I'm ever weirder now."

Andromeda couldn't restrain the amused smirk that curved her lips. "Well, just don't tell her you see dead people and she won't have you committed to some kind of institution."

His eyes flickered to hers, staring at her blankly for a moment before he smirked. "Right," he muttered, more to himself. Then he turned towards the door. He paused with his hand on the knob, an unsure look on his face.

"What?" Andromeda inquired when he fixed her with a confused look.

"Well," he began, still unsure. "You're…dead. Do you…are you…hungry? And do you…well, there's a girls' bathroom…down the hall…"

Andromeda sat quietly on his bed, thinking. After a minute, she shrugged. "I'm not hungry and I don't need to use the bathroom. Maybe I don't need those things."

He nodded and started to turn back to the door, but stopped again and looked down over her body. "And your clothes…"

Andromeda glanced down at her jeans and t-shirt and then at the black school robe folded neatly at the end of the bed. Again, she shrugged, "I don't know. I guess they're still clean. I can't change them anyway. I don't have anything else.

Tom glanced at his closet. "I wouldn't have anything that would fit you. Maybe I can find something…" Without another word, he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He glanced at the older girl still in his bed before closing and locking the door with a quiet _click._

Andromeda stared after him, her mind wandering to the impossibilities of her situation. She was dead, apparently. She'd drowned in the ocean. Now she was stuck with the boy who would grow up to be one of the evilest men in all history and killed by a boy with a scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt.

_Tom-freaking-Riddle!_

The main problem was that she couldn't hate him right now. He was her last shred of hope. If he could see her, there had to be someone else who could! Maybe, just maybe, there was hope. Maybe she could find a way to—

Something shifted. No, everything shifted. Andromeda jerked up, straightening her back. Everything in the room had just moved.

Slowly, now on full alert, she raised her wand. A second later, her arm fell back to her side as everything in the room suddenly started to blur, objects melting into objects, colors fading into colors.

And then more darkness. But this time, it didn't stay long. She was only suck in the abyss for a few seconds before colors started fading into existence around her. A bed appeared beneath her, the covers a scarlet red. There were four posts at each corner and dark red velvet curtains drawn on each side. The bed, the curtains, and even the pillow at her back seemed terribly familiar. There was light peeking in through a gap in the curtains.

Hesitantly, she reached out with one hand, her wand ready in the other, and drew back the curtain to her left. She leaned forward, poking her head out.

She gasped in shock when she recognized the circular dormitory. There were four other beds identical to hers evenly spaced around the room. Light poured in through the windows, especially the one right next to her bed, which faced east. The morning sunrise cast a golden light across the dormitory floor.

And beyond that window right next to her bed laid an all-too-familiar view. A view she'd spent seven years admiring.

Andromeda pushed herself shakily to her feet, almost unable to keep her balance as she inched closer to the window, unable to believe what she was seeing. Unable to believe where she was. It was so…_impossible!_

She was dead. She had drowned. She'd somehow gone back in time. And now…now she was back in her seventh-year dorm at Hogwarts.

_What the fuck…?_

And then the door directly across from her bed banged open and a young woman with bubblegum pink hair came waltzing in.

"Well it's about time!" Tonks exclaimed, stopping short when she saw Andromeda. "Where on earth have you been?"

**The next chapter has been written for a long time so it will be up soon. I have to wait awhile, though. I want to take my time with this story. The next chapter was the first chapter I wrote, actually. It will explain a lot and kind of give you some idea where this story is headed.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


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